Perfectly Imperfect
by Emma Redwood
Summary: Casey gets close to the new preppy boy at school, named Chad, but there's more to him than meets the eye. Why does Derek hate Chad so much? Dasey. Disclaimer: No, I do not own Life With Derek. Who would have guessed?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't know what the name of their English teacher is, so I made one up. This is my first fanfic, so it would be cool if you gave comments…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a cold Monday morning when Casey walked into English. She was early, as always, and excited to be in her favorite class. She neatly arranged her notebook and pens on her desk as the other students filtered into the classroom. Emily plopped down into the seat next to Casey.

"So, how was your weekend Casey?" She asked.

"Ugh, the worst, Derek would not leave me _alone_-" Casey groaned.

Emily snorted, "Big shocker there."

"First, while I was washing my _white _clothes, Derek put his _bright_ _red _shirts in _without _asking. I mean, I love the color pink, but I didn't want those clothes to be pink. Then, when I confronted him about it he just started laughing! Ugh, he is such a _jerk_."

Emily shrugged, "It was probably just an accident Case."

"I find that hard to believe since it's his life goal to make _my _life miserable."

The bell rang and the class quieted down. Casey looked up at Mrs. Smith, her teacher, when she noticed a sharply dressed boy standing in the front of the room. He was tall and _very _cute. His crisp white polo shirt made his shiny blond hair and vivid blue eyes stand out.

"Who is that?" Casey whispered to Emily.

Emily shrugged. Both girls were intrigued.

"Class, I'd like you to meet a new student. This is Chad Pratt, he just moved here from Toronto," Mrs. Smith explained.

Grinning, Casey and Emily raised their eyebrows at one another.

"Now make sure you give Chad a nice, warm wel-"

Mrs. Smith was cut off by Derek running into the room. Casey rolled her eyes as Derek nodded at Mrs. Smith and sat down in his seat with a huge smirk on his face.

Mrs. Smith's lips were pressed into a tight frown, "Mr. Venturi, how nice of you to join us. Where is your pass?"

Derek reached into his left pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Here M'am," Derek passed her the paper with a grin on his face.

Casey's eyes narrowed. She was convinced he had stolen a stack of pre-signed passes, and was keeping them for his own personal use.

Mrs. Smith read it and nodded. She walked back to the front of the room.

"Alright, Chad you can go sit behind Casey Macdonald," Mrs. Smith pointed to Casey.

Chad smiled at Casey as he walked past her. Casey smiled back, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

Derek, noticing this interaction, hissed at Chad, "Watch out for Klutzilla there. She'll spill your coffee all over your clean shirt, if you're not careful." Derek gestured to the Starbucks coffee that Chad had put on his desk.

Casey turned around and glared at Derek.

"Don't worry, _Mr. Venturi_, I have quick reflexes," Chad smirked at Derek.

Casey smiled at Chad. It looked like English was about to become even better.

A/N: Ok, that was just the beginning. The other chapters will be longer and have more action. I'll try and update soon.

Emma


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to all the people who reviewed!  This week is really busy for me, but I'll try and update as often as possible…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, settle down everyone," Mrs. Smith exclaimed, "Today we're going to explore the wonderful world of creative writing! I'm going to randomly assign each of you a partner and together you will assemble a creative writing portfolio!"

Mrs. Smith picked up a baseball hat that was lying on her desk.

"I have put each of your names into the hat. Let's see who our first pair is…"

Emily got paired up with Trevor, Sam got paired up with Ralph, and Derek's partner was Sheldon.

Upon hearing this news Sheldon leaped over to Derek, "So, Derek, we're partners! Isn't that awesome? Aren't you excited?"

Derek buried his head into his hand, "Yeah, Schlepp, that's just fantabulous."

Mrs. Smith pulled Chad's name out of the hat. Casey crossed her fingers.

"And Chad's partner is…Casey Macdonald."

Casey grinned. Luck was _definitely _on her side today. The other girls in the class pouted. Emily winked at Casey.

Chad murmured in a deep voice, "Cool."

Derek was surprisingly silent. Mrs. Smith started explaining the specifics of the project, but Casey wasn't listening. All she could think was; _Chad's _my _partner. I'm working with Chad! Yessss! _It had been a few months since Casey and Sam had broken up for good. Casey was ready for a _real _relationship, especially one with the dreamy Chad Pratt.

---------------

"Omigod!" Emily shrieked into Casey's ear after English, "You are _so _lucky! I bet every girl in the class wishes she were you!"

Casey started to grin, but just then she heard someone call her name from behind. She turned around. It was Chad.

"Hey, so I was thinking we could start working on the project today, like sometime after school."

"Yeah Chad, that would be great. How about my house?"

"Perfect."

"Great, I'll meet you by the front doors at 3:00."

"I'll be there, bye Casey."

"Bye Chad," Casey smiled as he walked away.

Emily zoomed in on Casey.

"You have got it made Case," Emily grinned, "Alone after school with Chad."

"Yeah, just as long as my mom, George, Lizzie, Edwin, Marti, and especially _Derek_ leave us alone."

"True. It could get kind of awkward with Derek there."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Derek didn't seem to like Chad too much."

"Really, Em?"

"Yeah, it was weird. Derek kept glaring at him. Believe me, I was watching."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Derek's probably just jealous that he isn't the most popular boy in school anymore. Did you see all the girls trying to flirt with Chad? Ugh."

"You're right. Derek has always been kind of sensitive about his rep."

Casey nodded, but she also smiled. Inviting Chad over was the perfect way to annoy Derek. She would totally get him back for the red shirt incident.

--------------

A/N: That's all for now…I need to get some sleep. I should be able to update tomorrow.

-Emma


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the really short chapters…it takes me a couple of hours to write 500 words…it feels like I've written a lot more though. Oh well, crew is over so I should have more free time to write and school's ALMOST over. I can't wait. I really can't.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

At three o'clock on the dot, Casey was standing by the front doors of the school. She kept wringing her hands in anticipation. Her eyes swept the crowd of the students walking by and finally her eyes landed on the tall, handsome figure of Chad. Casey smiled as Chad walked up to her.

"We don't have to take the bus, I'll drive us," Chad said.

Casey looked up into his bright blue eyes, "That's great!"

Casey followed Chad to his car and climbed into the passenger seat. Casey didn't know anything about cars, but as she sunk into the luxurious leather seats, she knew Chad's car had to be expensive. _Not only is he hot and smart, _Casey thought, _he's also _rich. _He really is the perfect guy_. As Casey directed Chad where to turn, Chad asked her questions about the school. _Did the teachers give a lot of homework? Was the lunch food edible? Was the hockey team any good?_ She answered s_ometimes_ to the first question, _no_ to the second question, and _yes_ to the third question.

"Derek's the team captain," Casey added.

"That Venturi guy?"

"Yeah."

"_Too bad_," Chad raised his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"'Cause I was thinking of trying out."

"Oh! You totally should!" Casey exclaimed, "I mean, I've never seen you play, but…you look strong. Why is it bad that Derek's on the team?"

"Oh, well, I think it's kind of obvious the guy has issues."

"Like _what_?" Casey snorted.

"It was my first day at school and he _already _seems to have a problem with me."

Casey shrugged, "True, but that shouldn't stop you from trying out. Derek will get over himself."

Chad grinned, "Ok, then I will try out."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"_Cute_," Chad mumbled under his breath as they drove into the driveway of the Venturi/Macdonald residence.

They got out of the car and walked inside the house. Lizzie and Edwin were sitting on the couch, doing their homework, while Marti ran around in a princess outfit. Lizzie and Edwin looked up as Casey and Chad approached the couch. Marti stopped running around.

"Who are _you_?" Marti asked Chad bluntly.

"Marti! Don't be so rude, this is Chad. We're working on an English project together," Casey explained.

"Hi, there!" Chad waved to Marti.

Marti just squinted her eyes at him and ran away. Chad shrugged and turned to Edwin and Lizzie. Edwin stood up.

"Hey, Chad, Edwin Venturi at your service-"

"_Did you just say Ven_-?"

"Is that a real Rolex?" Edwin asked, bending down to get a better look at Chad's watch.

"Um, yeah, what was-?"

"You know, you look like a solid, dependable man-"

"Um, thanks, but-"

"How about you and I talk business? I've got this great idea, it'll-"

"_Edwin_," Casey glared at him.

"Geez, I was just trying to do a little business here, Case," Edwin defended himself.

Casey rolled her eyes, "Chad does _not _want to hear about it."

Chad started to say, "It's fine. I really don't-"

Just then the front door slammed open. Derek sauntered in, but stopped when he saw Chad. His eyes narrowed. Chad's mouth hung open a little.

"_Derek is your brother_?" Chad asked incredulously.

"_Step_brother," Casey shot an annoyed look at Derek.

"A recent accident by marriage," Derek shot a similar annoyed look back at Casey as he stepped closer, "I just happened to have the bad luck of getting a socially-retarded princess for a sister."

"_Step_sister, we do not share the same genes. If we did-"

"You'd be attractive, popular, and able to walk down stairs _without_ bruising someone's _butt_?"

Casey stepped closer.

"_No_, I'd be an arrogant, immature, obnoxious pig."

Casey and Derek were now standing face to glaring face.

"Well," Chad said, breaking the awkward tension and temporary silence in the air, "Why don't we just talk about the project tomorrow, Casey? I'm just gonna go now."

Chad quickly left the house.

"Ugh!" Casey yelled in frustration, "Look what you did!"

"What _I_ did?" Derek asked angrily, "You kept yelling at me!"

"Because you were yelling at me! You are _so_ annoying! I can't stand you; I'm going to my room!"

"Great, it'd be nice if you stayed there!" Derek yelled as Casey ran up the stairs.

He sighed and sat down on the couch. He realized that Edwin and Lizzie had tactfully disappeared from the room. Derek turned on the T.V., but he didn't really pay attention to what he was watching. _What is wrong with her?_ He thought, _I just got home and two seconds later we're fighting! Then she blames it all on me. What the hell? Why do I even put up with this?_ Derek was awoken from his thoughts when Edwin came back into the room.

"Why are you watching _The View_, Derek?"

Derek quickly shut off the T.V., "I'm not!"

"Riiiiiiiiight," Edwin laughed as Derek threw a pillow at him.

--------------------------------------------------

A/N: Yay, that was a longer(ish) chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update, I was away Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The whole time I was away, I was thinking about where I want to go with this story…you're going to learn more about Chad in the upcoming chapters and that will help Casey(and Derek) develop more in the story.

Emma


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ahhh! Sorry I haven't updated in 2 weeks. It seems like all my teachers have made everything due in the last two weeks before finals! Grrr…plus, I had to take the SAT's last Saturday. That sucked, but then I saw _POTC: At World's End_ so it made my day better. It's not as good as the first, but it's better than the second. Here's chapter 4…

That night, dinner at the Venturi/McDonald house was as chaotic as always.

"So, how was everyone's day?" George asked as the family sat down for dinner.

"I was a purple cat today!" Marti squealed.

Lizzie said, "I'm really excited for my next soccer game, I think we have a good chance of winning…"

"Pass the potatoes," Derek said to Casey.

Casey pursed her lips as she passed Derek the bowl of potatoes. Edwin was telling his dad about a science project he was doing for school.

"So, Casey how was your day?" Nora asked.

"Well," Casey smiled, "There's this new boy at school, Chad, and he's really-"

"_Preppy_," Derek interrupted.

"_Nice_," Casey amended. She frowned at Derek, "What's your problem with Chad?"

Derek shrugged.

"Who does Derek have a problem with?" George asked.

"Chad," Casey said.

"Who's Chad?" George asked, confused.

Derek rolled his eyes, "_Nobody_!"

"He's this really rich guy," Lizzie said.

Edwin nodded, "His car is _sweet_!"

Derek's lip curled, "Well, yeah. When your daddy owns half of Toronto of course he can buy you a brand new-"

"_His dad owns half of Toronto?_" Edwin's eyes grew wide.

Derek rolled his eyes, "Well, maybe not _half_, but still, his dad is really big in real estate."

"Wait Derek, how do you know all this?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, were you stalking him?" Lizzie laughed. Edwin snorted.

"_No_," Derek growled.

The whole family waited in silence for his explanation.

Derek sighed, "Okay, okay. I sort of knew him before he moved to our school."

"You did? _How_?" Casey shouted.

"Hockey."

"What?"

"I played his stupid little prep school last year, and might I add that we kicked their-"

"What school did he go to?" George asked, cutting Derek off.

"St. Peter's Academy."

"_St. Peter's Academy_?" Edwin asked astounded. "You mean that really preppy, expensive military school?"

"That's the one," Derek responded.

"Hmm…he didn't tell me he played hockey at his old school. Well, I guess it's pretty obvious that he did because he told me he wanted to try out for the team," Casey said out loud.

"_What_?" Derek choked. "He wants to try out for _my _team?"

Casey frowned, "Derek it's not _your _team. He can try out if he wants to."

"I'm the captain. No way, no way," Derek sputtered.

Casey rolled her eyes.

------------------------------

The next day at school, Casey was shoving her books into her locker when Chad walked up to her.

"So, I was thinking we should work on that project today. After school. At my house," he smiled.

"Sure, I'd love to," Casey grinned back, "Look, about yesterday, I'm really sorry. My stupid stepbrother..."

"Yeah, I didn't know you two were related."

"We're not related! Just stuck together."

"Yeah."

"So, I didn't realize you already knew Derek from hockey."

Chad's eyes widened, "Oh yeah, I was kind of trying to keep that on the DL. I mean, I still don't even know why he punched me."

"_He punched you_?" Casey shrieked.

"Wait, you didn't know? Oh, man," Chad sighed.

"Wait Chad, tell me what happened."

"Well, we just playing a nice game of hockey and I was about to take control of the puck, when BAM! The guy just punches me out of no where. The ref had to pull him off me. I was bleeding so badly I couldn't even play."

"_What_?"

"I know. It was totally uncalled for. I was about to score a goal too. He totally messed up my team's chances of winning."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't really want anyone to know. He's had it out for me ever since."

"I still can't believe Derek would do that."

Chad shrugged and they both walked off to class as the bell rang.

----------------

"DEREK VENTURI!" Casey hissed at Derek after lunch.

"What?" Derek jumped a little, while trying to open his locker.

"You know, I knew you were capable of doing really scummy things, but to go off and intentionally hurt someone just to win a hockey game? I mean-"

"Wait, _what_?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I really have no idea-"

"Chad?! Do you remember him, the one you-"

"_Chad_? What does he have to do with anything?"

"He's the one you practically killed at that hockey game last season!"

"I hurt _him_? Where the hell are you getting this from?"

"Chad told me. Ugh! I don't have time for this! You know, what you did at that hockey game was low, even for you."

Casey stalked off to class ignoring Derek as he called out her name. She was kind of upset that Chad had been holding out on her, but all thoughts of Chad left when she thought about Derek. Was he really that desperate to win a hockey game? Was he really that cruel?

-------------------------

Casey and Chad met up after school and drove to Chad's house. Casey was excited to see Chad's house, but she was a little nervous about meeting his mother. Casey was glad though, because the closer she got to Chad, the further she got from Derek.

A/N: Ok, that's all for now. Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait.

Emma


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. You girls (guys?) are really sweet! Yay! It's summer! Time for you all to meet Chad's mother…

---------------------------

When Chad pulled into the driveway of his house, Casey was speechless. The house was dreamlike; from its perfectly manicured lawn, all the way up to the highest window. The house was a mini-mansion.

"Oh. My. God. This is your house?" Casey gasped.

Chad shrugged, "We have a better place in Toronto."

Casey wasn't even listening to him because she was too busy staring at the house. _Wow, _she thought. _I guess Derek wasn't lying when he said Chad was really rich_. She followed Chad up the steps into the gorgeous house. The house was sparkling white. Every single inch of the house was neat. Every pillow on the couches was perfectly in place and there wasn't a speck of dust to be seen. Casey was in heaven.

"Chad?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom?" Chad answered.

A medium height woman walked out of the kitchen. She had straight blonde hair, a sharp visage, and bright blue eyes. She wore crisp black pants and a pink Ralph Lauren sweater. Casey was surprised at how skinny she was. She had always thought that her mom was skinny, but compared to Mrs. Pratt, Nora looked plump.

"And who is this?" Mrs. Pratt asked with a smile on her face. However, because she had such sharp features, instead of looking amiable, she looked like a cat that had just swallowed a canary.

"Casey Macdonald," Casey introduced herself.

"She goes to my school," Chad added.

"Oh?" Mrs. Pratt grinned even more.

"It's great to meet you, Mrs. Pratt," Casey said smiling back.

"Oh, call me Charlotte. I think St. Peters is such a fine academy, don't you?"

"Mom, not _that_ school. The _other _one," Chad told her.

"_Oh_." The smile plastered on Mrs. Pratt's face started to slip. She chuckled nervously as she took a step back.

There was an awkward silence.

"We have to work on a project," Chad turned from his mother and started walking up the stairs. Not wanting to be left alone with his mother, Casey followed him. Casey felt uneasy. She didn't like being disliked by parents. Even worse, she didn't understand why Mrs. Pratt disliked her.

--------------------------------------

Chad's room was as nice as the rest of the house. A big screen T.V. lined the wall along with various CD's and video games. Chad sat down on his bed. Casey stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.

Chad patted the spot on the bed next to him, "Well sit down."

Casey sat down and Chad smiled.

"You're very pretty, you know that?" Chad grinned.

Casey smiled back.

"_It must be torture for him_," Chad murmured under his breath.

"What?" Casey asked giddily.

"Nothing."

Casey stared into Chad's bright blue eyes and he stared back into her darker ones. Casey's heart started to pound as he leaned in closer to her. She could smell his cologne; she could smell the mint in his breath. His lips had barely brushed hers, when BANG! The door to Chad's room flew open. Chad and Casey quickly jumped apart. Chad's mother walked in and she was furious.

"_Working on a project_?" She hissed. "Chad say goodbye to Katie, she is leaving _now_."

Casey thought about correcting her, but under the circumstances she didn't dare say a word.

Chad sighed, "_Mom_-"

Mrs. Pratt pulled Casey by the arm without even listening to Chad. She pulled Casey all the way to the front door.

"Please, Mrs. Pratt. Nothing was happening! We were going to work on the project-" Casey managed to blurt out.

"Listen, _I don't know who you think you are_, but I'll tell you who my son is. He is one of the future leaders of Canada and he does not have time to be hanging around silly, no-good _sluts _like you!"

And with that Mrs. Pratt pushed an astonished Casey outside and slammed the door in her face.

---------------

Casey walked home. She was so humiliated, so _angry_, that she couldn't even call home to ask for a ride. Tears of rage were running down her face. Casey had never hated someone so much in her life.

-----------------------

When Casey finally got home she was all cried out, but her anger had not vanished. She banged in through the door and slammed it shut.

"Casey!" Nora cried. "Where were you? We were worried sick!"

Then she saw the look on Casey's face.

"Casey, what's wrong?" Nora asked.

Normally, Casey would have told her mother everything, but this time she couldn't.

"Nothing," she lied and walked upstairs to her room.

----------------------------

Against the protests of certain family members, Casey didn't talk to anyone. She managed to avoid everyone, even Derek. He had left early in the morning for hockey tryouts. She _did _need to talk to someone, but it needed to be someone who'd understand. She found someone the next day at school. He jumped when he looked up from his locker and saw her standing right next to him.

Casey stared at him, her face blank.

"Casey, look, I am _so sorry_, I don't know why she freaked out like that," Chad said, while he rubbed his eyes.

Casey was still uncharacteristically silent. She needed more.

"I will make it up to you, I swear Casey. Please don't let her come between us," Chad pleaded. He reached out to her.

"Chad, she-"

"I don't care what she thinks Casey. You're an amazing girl. I still can't believe she did that to you."

"Neither can I."

Chad hugged Casey. She hugged him back.

"Let's just put this behind us."

"Fine, Chad," Casey smiled at him, despite the other feelings swirling around inside her.

They both looked down the hallway and saw Derek coming towards them.

Chad looked back at Casey with a grin on his face, "Now let's finish what we started."

And he leaned over and kissed her. When they both resurfaced Derek was standing next to them with a murderous glare on his face.

"Looks like you made the team, _Pratt_," Derek said holding up a list of names.

"You made the hockey team?!" Casey asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Chad grinned.

Derek stalked off, but not before bumping Casey with his shoulder.

Chad grinned, "Casey, I will make up for everything that happened yesterday. _I promise_."

"That means a lot to me Chad," Casey smiled.

--------------------

Casey was putting her books in her locker when Derek found her.

"So, I guess your _boyfriend _is now on the team. You better tell him to watch himself," Derek sneered.

"Look, don't you _dare _try and punch him again," Casey threatened.

"Only if he keeps his hands to himself," Derek said stepping closer to Casey.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if he hadn't hit me first, I wouldn't have punched him," Derek said in a low voice.

"I don't believe you," Casey said stepping closer to him.

"Do you really believe everything that asshole tells you?"

They were so close to each other their noses were almost touching.

"Yes," Casey glared back defiantly, "And he's not an 'asshole.'"

Derek snorted, "Whatever."

And he walked away, leaving Casey in a trance by her locker.

---------------

Although Casey believed Chad, Derek had planted a small seed of doubt in her mind. She had to know the truth. When she got home from school she walked straight up to Edwin's room.

"What's up, Casey?" Edwin looked up from a magazine he had been reading.

"Edwin, you wouldn't happen to have any pictures from Derek's hockey games from last season, would you?" Casey asked impatiently.

"Some, but we missed a few."

"Do you have some of a fight?"

"A fight…hmmm, wait that was one of the games we missed! I remember because I was so mad I didn't get to see it."

"Ugh!" Casey cried frustrated. She needed proof.

She went to the only other useful person she could think of: Emily.

"I made a scrapbook of last season, Casey!" Emily grabbed a binder from her bookcase.

Casey grabbed it out of her hand.

"Do you want a drink, Case?"

"Sure," Casey said as she flipped though the binder.

Emily left the room.

Casey madly flipped through the pages until she found them. Derek and Chad racing for the puck, Derek ahead of Chad, Chad looking up, and finally one of Chad punching Derek. Casey gasped. She ran home.

"_Where's Derek_?" she screeched at her mom.

"He's upstairs in his room. He just got home from hockey practice," Nora said, raising her eyebrows at Casey.

Casey barged into Derek's room.

"I believe you!" She said out of breath.

-----------------------------

A/N: Oh, yeah:-)

-Emma


	6. Chapter 6

"_I believe you now!"_

Derek raised his eyebrows. Then Casey told him everything. She had been _dying_ to talk to someone about what had happened with Chad. Derek turned out to be the perfect one to tell:

"_Future leader of Canada_? The day _that _happens, I'm moving to the states!" Derek snorted.

And:

"She threw _you_ out? That bitch!"

Also:

"What a lying bastard! I can't believe he told you that!"

When Casey finished, both she and Derek were fuming.

"You know, the one thing I can't figure out is _why _his parents sent him to a public school," Derek mentioned.

"You're right, his mother didn't look so happy when she heard I was from the _other _school," Casey rolled her eyes.

She sat down on the bed next to Derek. They were close, but not touching. It was a weird feeling, actually getting along with Derek. Casey closed her eyes. For a moment she could feel Derek's warmth radiating off of him. She opened her eyes and looked at Derek. He wasn't looking at her; his head was slightly turned as he looked at something on the other side of the room. Then his head turned and suddenly he was looking right at her. His warm brown eyes stared into her deep blue ones. Casey's breathing slowed. She was now fully aware of how close they were to each other. She couldn't hear anything, but the rapid pounding of her heart in her chest. Her lips parted as Derek's head slowly came closer to her. Casey wasn't sure what was happening, but before her brain could process anything, Edwin barged into the room. Casey and Derek jumped apart.

"Derek, time for din-" Was all Edwin got out before Derek pounced on him.

"_Edwin_! How many times have I told you to knock first?" Derek growled.

Edwin managed to free himself from the headlock Derek had held him in and ran away as quickly as possible. Derek chased after him. Casey sighed, and then shook her head.

"What was _that_?" She murmured to herself. Had she and Derek just been about to _kiss_? _No way_, she thought. _No way_.

----------------------

The next day at school Casey planned to find Chad and demand answers, but Chad found her first.

Before Casey could say anything, Chad said excitedly, "Casey, I've been looking all over for you! Look, I talked to my mother and she's really embarrassed about the way she behaved. She wants you to come over after school so she can apologize. I've gotta go, I'll meet you by the front doors after school."

And with a peck on the cheek he was gone. Derek, who had been nearby, saw the whole thing.

He walked over to a stunned Casey, "What the hell was _that_? Are you _still _going out with that prick?"

"_No_," Casey said, recovering from her shock, "He wants me to come over after school so his mother can _apologize_."

Derek snorted. Casey stared at him with a straight face.

"You're not _really _going to go? After all he's done?" Derek laughed nervously.

Casey shrugged.

"_What_?" Derek shouted.

Several nearby students looked up and giggled at his outburst.

Derek lowered his voice, "Are you serious?"

"Derek, think about it. You want answers, don't you? Don't you want to know what he's doing?" She looked up at him questioningly.

Derek started to grin, "I like your way of thinking."

"Hey, keep your friends close-"

"And your enemies closer," Derek smiled, "I love _The_ _Godfather_."

"Yeah, me too," Casey smiled back at him.

Derek cocked his right eyebrow, "Alright, Macdonald. When you come home tonight you better have answers."

"Oh, I will," Casey assured him as she walked away.

-------------------------

Casey found Chad at the end of the day and they drove to Chad's house. Casey was a little nervous about seeing Chad's mother again, but she was even more curious to figure out what the deal with Chad was. She was unsure of how to broach the topic of public school, so she tried a direct approach.

"Chad, why'd your parents send you to public school?" Casey asked.

Chad's eyes widened, "Well, I wanted to try something new. Private school was kinda getting old."

"Mhmm," Casey murmured. Casey wasn't satisfied with his answer in the least bit.

They pulled into the driveway and walked into the house.

Mrs. Pratt was standing in the vestibule with a fake smile plastered on her face. It became obvious to Casey that this "apology" was completely forced.

"Casey, darling, please sit down," Mrs. Pratt led Casey and Chad to the living room.

They sat down on the fluffy white couches. Casey looked around. The house that she had once thought was perfect in every way was somehow flawed now. The room looked sterile and unfriendly. There was no warmth in the house. She felt uninvited and out of place. And that smile, that fake smile that was etched into Mrs. Pratt's face was the worst of all. It was the smile of a cruel woman with hollow intentions.

"Casey, I just want to ask for your forgiveness. I'm so embarrassed, I don't know why-" Mrs. Pratt was cut off by the ringing of a telephone.

"I'll get it," Chad ran upstairs.

Not wanting to be left alone with Mrs. Pratt, Casey said, "Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom."

Casey fled out of the room. She stopped in the hallway, just below the stairs. She stared at the beautifully white wall. Suddenly she had a rebellious urge that she had never felt before. While looking around to make sure no one was coming, Casey opened her purse and took out her bright red lipstick. She opened it and smeared it onto the wall. The wall was forever stained. Laughing quietly, she ran upstairs to find Chad. She crept quietly down the hallway when she heard his voice coming from his room. The door was practically closed, except for a small crack. Chad was still talking on the phone inside.

"Dude, I am telling you this is the year we get our revenge."

Casey's eyes widened as she leaned forward to hear better.

"Sir John Sparrow Thompson High doesn't stand a chance this year."

Casey inched a little closer.

"Dude! I'm on the hockey team!"

Short pause.

"My point _is_, I'll make it happen. Our first game is against St. Peter's. If they lose that game they won't be in the running for the championships. We'll finally gain the title we've always deserved."

Casey gasped. _That_ was why Chad wanted to be on the hockey team.

"What _about_ Venturi?"

Casey strained to hear.

"Oh, you better believe I am. It turns out the asshole is more fucked up than I thought."

Slight pause.

"_Dude_, the guy is in love with his sister! And check this; I'm going out with her!"

Casey's heart pounded.

"Hell yeah, she's hot. She talks too much though. It's kind of annoying actually."

Casey's hands clenched into fists.

"Whatever, the point is I'm destroying Venturi and I'm going to destroy his precious hockey team as well."

Casey straightened up as she heard Chad say goodbye and hang up the phone. She ran to the bathroom and shut the door. When she heard Chad come by she flushed the toilet and came out. Chad turned around and Casey looked up into his icy blue eyes. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She decided right then and there that she was going to make Chad Pratt pay. She wasn't going to let Chad hurt Derek in any way. Chad had been deceiving her the whole time. He was using her to get back at Derek. _Well_, she thought, _two can play at that game_.

-----------------

Casey rushed home to tell Derek everything. When Casey reached the part about the lipstick, Derek's eyebrows rose in shock.

"I'm shocked that the goody-goody Casey McDonald would ever do something like that," Derek commented.

Casey rolled her eyes.

"But," Derek continued, "I'm _impressed_. _Wow_."

"Yeah, I've been hanging around you too much," Casey shook her head with a grin on her face.

Derek grinned back, "It feels good to be bad, admit it."

"That was a one time thing Derek," Casey said sternly, then her face softened, "But it did feel good."

Derek chuckled.

Casey told Derek about the phone conversation, but she left out the part where Chad accused Derek of "being in love with his sister." That was just too awkward for Casey to handle at the moment. When she finished, Derek slammed his fist into the wall.

"I _knew_ it! I knew this had to be some stupid revenge plot because of last year! I bet he had to beg his daddy to let him go public just so he could join my team and screw us all over!" Derek shouted.

"I know," Casey said, patting his shoulder.

Derek sat down on his bed.

"So then what happened? Did you break up with him?" Derek asked calmly.

"No," Casey said just as calmly.

Derek jumped up, "_What_?"

Casey rolled her eyes, "Derek we've been through this, do you want to get back at Chad?"

"_Yes_, but-"

"If he thinks that I'm still his girlfriend it will be easier to get back at him."

"You're right," Derek nodded.

"He's too popular now for us to just expose him, no one would believe us. We need to give him a taste of his own medicine."

Derek grinned, "_Exactly_. We play St. Peter's this weekend."

"Then it'll be a game to remember," Casey smiled.

"Oh, _yeah_," Derek said as he and Casey high-fived.

-------------------

A/N: Ooooooooooooo…revenge. You better believe I'll update soon.

-Emma


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Last chapter…

Oh, and a warning: there's a lot of _language_ in this chapter. I'm sorry if that offends you or anything, but…people get mad…

--------------------

The Venturi/McDonald household was tense the evening of the hockey game against St. Peter's. Casey and Derek were quiet all through dinner. Casey kept wringing her hands in her lap and Derek barely ate any of his dinner.

"Is everything ok?" Nora asked, observing the two teenager's nervous idiosyncrasies.

"Yes," Derek and Casey said in unison.

Edwin rolled his eyes, "Derek is freaked out because of the game today, but I don't know why Casey is freaked out."

Everyone looked at Casey.

"It's a very important game," Casey said defensively as she stared at Derek's grim face.

A car horn beeped from outside.

"That's Chad, I've got to go," Casey got up from her chair.

"Aren't you coming to the game?" George asked.

"Yeah, we're just getting some coffee before," Casey pulled on her coat.

Derek stood up and walked over to her.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" He asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I'm sticking to the plan we talked about yesterday," Casey looked up at his brown eyes.

When Derek still didn't look sure, Casey sighed, "Don't worry Derek. Chad will never make it to that game. I'll make sure of it."

She smiled and he smiled back.

"Bye, and good luck," Casey said as she walked out the door.

"You too," Derek called after her.

He shut the door and returned to the table. Everyone was staring at him.

"What?" He snapped.

Nora and George raised their eyebrows, but went back to eating their food. Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti tried not to giggle. No one could figure out why Derek and Casey were suddenly getting along.

------------------

Casey got into the car with Chad. To appear friendly, Casey kissed him on the cheek. Chad wanted to take the kiss a little further, but Casey wasn't feeling _that_ friendly.

"Let's just go Chad," Casey said trying to hide the annoyance she was feeling.

Chad sighed and pulled out onto the street. They drove in silence. After a few minutes Chad couldn't stand the silence anymore. He turned on the radio. A loud, obnoxious sound filled the air.

"I _love _this song!" Chad shouted.

"Who's it by?" Casey shouted back.

"The Pinheads!"

Casey stifled a snort. She remembered Derek talking about that band just a couple of hours before. He described them as a "sell-out, frat-ass" band, that would unfortunately, still be played on the radio because the band was, for reasons unknown, liked by a lot of people. Casey smiled. As she looked out the window, she wondered what Derek was doing.

-------------------

Derek took a deep breath. He doubled checked that he had all his equipment in his sports bag. He looked at himself in the mirror. _You got this, Venturi_, he thought. He opened the door and walked downstairs. Edwin and Lizzie were sitting on the couch.

"So, you and Casey have been pretty… _chummy _lately," Edwin smirked.

Lizzie giggled. Derek growled.

"Shut up, _Edwin_," he said as he smacked Edwin in the head.

"Besides," Derek smirked, while he nodded at Lizzie, "You shouldn't be talking."

Both Edwin and Lizzie turned bright red.

"Shut up, Derek," Lizzie said as she crossed her arms.

"Let's go, everyone!" Derek shouted to his parents in the kitchen. He slung his bag over his shoulder. Marti came bounding in.

"I'm so excited to see you play Smerek!" Marti squealed.

"I'm glad you're coming Smarti," Derek grinned as he picked her up.

Soon the Venturi/MacDonald family was all bundled up and ready to go to the hockey game.

----------------

Casey sighed. She and Chad were in the Smelly Nelly coffeehouse. Chad was just now finishing his third cup of coffee, while Casey had barely touched hers. She checked the clock. Soon Chad would want to leave for the game.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Casey excused herself. She grabbed her purse and headed off in the direction of the bathroom. When Chad wasn't looking Casey slipped outside. She shivered in the cold because she had left her jacket on her chair. It was dark out and the only light came from the moon. Casey walked over to Chad's car. She turned around and made sure no one was looking. She pulled the pocketknife that Derek had given her out of her purse. She checked one more time that no one was watching and then she bent down in front of Chad's front left tire. She started stabbing at the tire, letting out all the air. She also stabbed his right front tire just in case he had one extra tire in the back. Casey felt a little guilty. She knew it was wrong to damage other people's property and she knew she could get in big trouble if she were caught. As she walked around Chad's car she noticed something in the backseat. Casey opened the car door and picked it up. When she read what it was she almost laughed. Chad Pratt would be ruined if she exposed what she had found. She shoved it into her purse and walked away.

--------------------------

Casey walked back into the coffeehouse. Chad was still sitting at the table, but he was talking on his cell phone. Casey walked back to the table and sat down. Chad hung up the phone and frowned at her.

"Your nose is a little red, are you ok?" He asked.

Casey smiled, "It's just allergies."

"Whatever, just don't breathe on me," Chad looked at his watch, "Hey, we've got to get going."

He stood up.

Casey smiled, "Sure. Let's drive to the game."

----------------------------

"_JESUS FUCKING CHRIST_! _Who did this_?" Chad screamed when he saw his tires.

Casey was a little shocked by his outburst, but she recovered quickly, "Oh my gosh, why would someone do this?"

"_FUCK_!" Chad screamed.

Casey rolled her eyes. She checked her watch. It read 7:00. Casey smiled. The game was now starting.

-------------------------

"Where the hell is Pratt?" Derek's coach yelled.

The whole team shrugged. The coach had just given one of his inspiring speeches and they were all sitting in the locker room changed and ready to go.

"Man, I can't believe he'd let the team down like that," Sam whispered to Derek.

Derek snorted, "_I can_."

Derek called out to the coach, "Coach, he's obviously not going to show. Why don't you put Sam in his position? He played right wing last season."

"Fine. Now boys, get out there and play a helluva game!" The coach shouted.

The boys yelled and cheered as they ran to their bench. The crowd was loud and full of energy. Derek got a lot of applause and cheering when he skated onto the ice. The air was thick with intensity. Derek shoved on his helmet and got ready for the ref's whistle.

---------------------

Casey looked at her watch. It was 7:30. Chad was spitting into his cell phone, begging for rides from people. Unfortunately, everyone was either busy or not picking up because they were at the hockey game. There were five minute breaks between each of the twenty minute periods, so the teams were five minutes into the second period. Casey sighed. Chad slammed his cell phone closed.

"What a bunch of fucking morons," he muttered to himself.

Casey looked up. An old man was approaching. Chad looked up and saw him too.

"Hi there son, looks like your tires are busted, do you need a ride?" The old man asked politely.

Casey pulled Chad aside.

"We can't go with him. I don't know him," Casey said even though the man looked harmless.

"So? We need a ride and he's offering," Chad shrugged.

"Well, we shouldn't accept rides from strangers," Casey insisted but Chad ignored her.

"Sure, let's go," he said to the old man as he dragged Casey along with him.

_Damn_, Casey thought, _the game isn't over yet. I need to stall_. The whole car ride Chad kept ordering the man to go faster, while Casey kept telling him to go slower.

"I don't want to get in an accident!" Casey complained.

They finally reached the hockey rink at 4:47. The third period was about to start in three minutes. _Dammit_, Casey thought as she ran after Chad into the ice rink. Chad ran down the hallway to the locker room. Casey ran to find Derek. He was filling up his water bottle in another hallway.

"Derek!" Casey yelled out of breath.

Derek looked up, shocked to see Casey, "Case! What's wrong? What happened?"

"He's here!" She said catching her breath.

"What? How? Didn't it work?" Derek asked confused.

Casey sighed, "_It _did, but then this old man came and offered us a ride and I couldn't stop him and-"

"Where is he right now?"

"Locker room."

Derek and Casey ran to the locker room. Chad was just coming out. He saw Derek.

"Venturi, you fucking sonuvabitch!" Chad slammed Derek into the wall.

"I know you paid one of your dumb-ass friends to fuck up my car," Chad spat in Derek's face.

"Chad, _stop_!" Casey yelled, pulling Chad off Derek.

Derek pulled himself up and smirked at Chad, "Chad I didn't need to _pay _anyone to fuck up your car."

Casey crossed her arms, "Chad, you don't know that Derek was responsible for it."

"Oh, I _know_," Chad snarled, "That ass-fuck has had it out for me since day one!"

"Bullshit," Casey frowned.

Chad's eyes widened, "Wait, are you standing up for him?"

Chad's mouth was hanging open. Then he looked at Casey and Derek and something seemed to come together in his head. He started to laugh maliciously.

"You _like _him. Oh my god, you _like _him," Chad said between laughs.

"You two," Chad pointed at Casey and Derek as he grinned, "You both-you're brother and sister you realize that? God, you're so fucked-"

Casey's eyes flashed and she grabbed a soda that had been abandoned on a bench nearby. She poured it all on Chad's head. Then Derek punched him in the face. Chad was so surprised by the turn of events that he fell over.

"Now here's what's going to happen Mr. _Pratt_," Derek said calmly stepping over Chad, "You're going to go to your mommy, who's sitting in the stands, and you are going to go home and never speak a word of this to _anyone-_"

"And if you do tell anyone," Casey continued, "You will wish you had never been born."

Casey pulled out the papers she had found in Chad's car. Chad turned pale when he saw them.

"_Where did you get those_?" He gasped.

"It doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is that I've got them and if I release them you won't-"

"Ok, ok, I get it," Chad sighed. "I won't say anything."

"Good," Derek said.

Chad got up and walked away.

Casey and Derek started walking towards the ice.

"So, what were you talking about…with those papers?" Derek asked.

"Oh," Casey said and she showed them to him.

Derek's eyebrows went up.

"_Wow_," Derek looked at Casey.

"I know," Casey replied.

They stopped near the door that led to the benches.

"Oh hey, what's the score?" Casey asked, just remembering.

"One to one," Derek muttered, "Not our best game…"

He looked down at his feet then back up at Casey.

"Well, are you or are you not the infamous Derek Venturi?" Casey ginned playfully.

Derek grinned back.

"So, go out there and win," Casey commanded as she poked his shoulder.

"Now there's an order that I'll follow."

Casey laughed, "Good luck, Derek."

And before she could stop herself, she kissed him on the cheek. The kiss was as fast as lightning, but she could still feel his smooth skin on her lips as she ran away.

She found Nora, George, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti in the stands and she sat down next to them. For the rest of the game her eyes stayed only on one player.

-------------------

Derek scored two goals in the third period. The family was so proud of him, especially Casey. When the game was over Casey anxiously waited outside the locker rooms for Derek.

When he came out Casey said excitedly, "That was _amazing_ Derek!"

Derek grinned and she flung her arms around him. Derek's hands tightened around Casey's back as she rested her head under his neck. All Casey could think about was how good, and warm, and _wonderful _it was to be this close to Derek. She couldn't remember the last time they hugged, if they ever had. Casey's arms tightened around his back as he breathed into her hair. Her whole body felt like it had been jolted by electricity as she touched him. Fireworks were going off in her stomach and she couldn't let go…

Until, "You little _whore_!" A familiar voice screeched from behind Casey.

Casey and Derek jumped apart.

Mrs. Pratt was standing there with a ferocious look on her face. Her fury was no longer masked.

Mrs. Pratt snarled, "What do you think you're doing? You're going out with _my son_-"

"_Excuse me_?" Casey glared at her, "For your information, I was hugging my _stepbrother_! And as for your little son, we are not dating anymore!" Casey realized belatedly that she had never actually broken up with Chad, but she didn't care. Chad knew it was over between them.

"By the way, you should watch out for him. With all the lying he does, he'll be in jail for fraud on his eighteenth birthday!" Casey snapped at Mrs. Pratt, "And one more thing, _never _speak to me that way again!"

She grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him away from a speechless Mrs. Pratt.

-------------------

Derek had on a devilish grin as he and Casey walked back to the car. Derek looked over at Casey for the billionth time.

"What?" Casey asked when she caught him staring.

"You really know how to set people straight," Derek observed.

"I have my ways," Casey replied.

--------------------

Back at the Venturi/MacDonald household everyone was celebrating. Drinks were passed around as everyone was sitting in the family room laughing and talking. Casey smiled. She loved this. She loved how happy her family was together. Even though things could get chaotic between them, there was still an overall sense of _right_ hanging over them. Each one of them had their flaws, but Casey realized she loved them for it. She looked over at Derek across the room. She caught his eye and smiled. He grinned and nodded at her.

The End

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Ok, so you might be wondering why Casey and Derek didn't kiss or confess their feelings for one another. When I started this story that's how I thought it would end, but when I started this chapter I realized it wasn't the right time for it. _Yet_. Don't worry! I'm making a sequel to this story. I'm not sure what it will be called, so just look for my username again. I know _exactly _how I'm starting the first chapter of it and I know you guys will like it wink, wink

I never did tell you exactly what kind of papers Casey found that would ruin Chad, but it's basically inconsequential. It was something to do with St. Peter's and Chad's dad's company.

I don't know if you noticed this, but I alternated spelling Casey's last name between _Mac_Donald and _Mc_Donald. I don't know which it is because in the credits it's spelled _Mac_Donald, but in the episode 'Two Timing Derek' it's spelled _Mc_Donald. Whatever.

Thank you if you reviewed and thank you if you're reading this now.

I'll be back,

Emma


End file.
